Chris Haugen's transformation from a touring guitarist juggling substance issues to a focused recording artist with nearly half a million monthly Spotify listeners stands as powerful testimony to what happens when creative energy finds proper channeling.

"Taking a lot of chaotic energy and streaming it down to one solid, focused beam" is how Chris describes his current creative process three years into sobriety. The results speak volumes—his monthly listeners jumped from 3,000 to 480,000, a testament not to diminished creativity but to enhanced focus and artistic direction.

The conversation explores Chris's journey through recovery, including his initial resistance to labels and programs. What makes this story particularly compelling is his honesty about the subtle whispers that preceded his decision to get sober—what he calls "guardian angel moments" where circumstances mysteriously intervened just as he was about to make destructive choices. One night at a Zen monastery, his car lights inexplicably failed as he contemplated driving to a liquor store, a small intervention that spoke volumes.

Perhaps most encouraging is Chris's experience finding community with other musicians who don't drink—a natural gravitation toward healthier environments that nurture rather than threaten his growth. His poetic description of sobriety as "a blinking neon light that never turns off, a glass of water balanced on my head, a good surf lesson, a clear mind" captures the vigilance, responsibility, self-care, and clarity that come with the journey.

Want to experience the musical results of this transformation? Check out Chris Haugen's compositions on Spotify or catch him performing at Imagine Fest on Orcas Island. His journey reminds us that sometimes our greatest creative breakthroughs happen not when we dull our senses, but when we sharpen them through clarity and presence.

• Chris Haugen Website
• Chris Haugen on Spotify
• Chris Haugen on YouTube
• YouTube Studio (you'll need to be logged in)
• Chris's Facebook post

Other useful links from Brett:

• Sober Curious Consulting - Brett's Recovery Friendly Workplace consulting business.
• Brett's YouTube channel
• Washington Recovery Alliance - building the capacity of the recovery community to advance substance use recovery and mental health wellness by catalyzing public understanding and shaping public policy in Washington State.
• Recovery-Ready Workplace Toolkit - providing information, tools, and resources to help employers from all sectors—government, for-profit, non-profit, and not-for-profit—effectively prevent and respond to substance misuse in the workforce from the Department of Labor.
• Data on SUD in the US (2022) - from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Link to my favorite PDF for statistics.
• Addiction 101 - it’s not a moral failing—it’s a treatable illness. Get the facts about this misunderstood medical condition from my friends at Shatterproof.